


Of Pregnancy And Accidental Love

by bedlinens



Category: The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-20
Updated: 2012-05-20
Packaged: 2017-11-05 17:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/409018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bedlinens/pseuds/bedlinens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They got pregnant accidently...<br/>Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Pregnancy And Accidental Love

They got pregnant on an accident. Sure, they knew that intimacy could lead to such situations, but they didn’t believe theory would meet practice so soon, not when they were at war. But it did, and as a result, they were pregnant.

The diagnosis was an easy one, as soon as amenorrhea was established: both Jodi and Sunny were extremely regular, a clock could have been set on their cycle. However, even with such strong suspicions, they decided to wait before going to the Doc for an official confirmation, and when they did, they insisted on keeping it quiet a little longer. Who knew what people could say once the word got out? Sunny still hadn’t had an opportunity to prove her loyalty to the human cause, and some people, mainly Maggie and Lacey, were still giving her the silent treatment. They were too afraid of Kyle to be more aggressive in their dislike, but they both seemed to be bidding their time until _he_ was gone, and _she_ was fair game, an easy prey for their malicious tendencies.

During the first month they were aware of their pregnancy, Sunny couldn’t sleep at night. She kept wondering about her choices: going to Doc and ask for an abortion, which didnt really feel like an option; Sunny couldn’t bear the thought of hurting a living being, much less a baby. So the only option left was to keep what she couldn’t help but think of as a baby, her baby, their baby. She didn’t want to stand out more in the cave crowd. She wanted to feel like she belonged more before actually thinking about, maybe, bringing a baby in this world.

At night, she wouldn’t be able to close her eyes, thinking about an anecdote Kyle had told her, about this couple of Souls who were playing with their human baby. Wanda had called it their “hopeful future”. He remembered it as the day he had felt hopeful too about his specie’s future. Kyle didn’t like to reminisce, he rarely talked about the past, so she cherished each time he did. Maybe it had been prophetic for him to witness that scene, but she kept thinking about that human child. She wanted that baby to be hers. But that scared her too for a different reason: she kept looking for Jodi, for proof that she was still there, somewhere, but she couldn’t find her. If she kept the baby, wouldn’t Jodi want to come back, to claim her body, and her child? She would stay awake, trying to feel if Jodi was coming back, but at the same time, she felt so guilty to hope that her host wouldn’t return when she had promised Kyle that she would search for her. It took nearly a month to find sleep again, until she was certain that Jodi was not coming back, even for her baby, but in the end, she knew in her heart that pregnancy termination wasn’t an option anymore, and she told Kyle so, to which he agreed. In for a penny, in for a pound, they might as well have a baby.

Though he pretended to feel quite calm about this, the next month was Kyle’s turn to fight insomnia. He didn’t want her to know, especially since her mind was so set about this baby, but he was scared to death about so many things. For starters, Earth was under invasion, for crying out loud, and who would feel safe enough to bring a baby into such a troubled world? Sure, Lucina had done it, but did she really choose to? Sometimes, he would look at Sunny, sleeping peacefully in his arms, and he would feel his heart warm up. If she thought they could do it, they could, and they would. He then would get sleepless at the thought of becoming a father: that plain idea was terrifying. He didn’t have a clue about anything baby related. Sure, women had motherly instinct, and some men had the masculine version, but what if he had nothing? He was just Kyle O’Shea, still too likely to accidentally crush his own baby’s hand when actually trying to hold him or her. Glancing at Sunny would somewhat reassure him slightly: he had sworn to take care of her, and so far, he had achieved. Being with her felt natural because she had Jodi’s body, but the way he handled her was completely different. When with Sunny, he felt such a need to take care of her, to protect her, he just didn’t know how to not do it. She was so fragile and yet she trusted him not to break her, or the baby. She couldn’t be so wrong about him, could she?

Doc was getting antsy about their pregnancy: he would tell them that the others would want to know, that as community members, they had to share their news so that accommodations could be made. Almost as if to prove his point, Sunny popped at the very beginning of her fourth month. At first, she would find loose clothes to keep the news secret a little longer, but when Melanie came to talk to her about asking the raiders to bring back birth control on their next mission, it became obvious that the disclosure couldn’t be delayed any longer. After sharing a meaningful look with Kyle, Sunny had decided to just push her shirt off her belly, for Melanie to see. Lilly, who was close when it happened, saw it and by the end of the day, the great majority of the cave inhabitants knew that Kyle and Sunlight Passing Through The Ice would be the first mixed couple to bring a child into this world in their community. Some got antsy, some got angry, and suspicion was not uncommon for a few, but most just decided to wait and see what would happen, respecting the couple’s wishes to deal with the pregnancy on their own. Kyle was a little comforted to witness such reactions but still wouldn’t let Sunny out of his reach unless it was absolutely necessary. Thankfully, some were extremely supportive, such as Wanda and Melanie, Ian and Jared, and with their support, the thought of becoming a father, though still scary as hell, also became a joyful one. They were having a baby!

Another thing to be thankful for was Sunny’s lack of cravings. It seemed that her body understood that there was no room for extravagant craving and felt satisfied with everyday food. Kyle would ask Ian and Wanda to bring back fresh fruits and vegetables for Sunny. Strangely enough, he was the one who wanted her to have strawberries and chocolate whenever it was possible, and she would smile sweetly while savouring her treats. She would run her hand on his face, trying to smooth the ridges his forehead would sport when he got worried and kiss his chin, blow air softly on his only ticklish spot at the juncture of his neck. She would smile some more, innocently, when he shivered and offer him a bite of whatever she was enjoying. She was glowing like an evening star, with health and happiness, it was breathtaking.

The last months of her pregnancy were pretty much uneventful. She would work in the kitchen, stirring pots. Kyle was always nearby; and others women took turn watching over her. Candy still didn’t talk to her in a friendly fashion, but she tried to find reasons to stay near the expecting Soul. She remembered a couple of times when the healer she had hosted against her will had given birth to human babies who would get implanted a few hours later, and she felt like she needed to be there during the delivery to bring a baby into this world that wouldn’t become an host. It was obvious she was trying to find forgiveness for her sins, to redeem herself for what the Healer had done, but neither Kyle nor Sunny felt like telling her to mind her own business: he felt quite reassured knowing his woman was under surveillance, especially as she got closer to her due date.

The baby would kick pretty often, and Sunny’s skin was so thin, you could almost distinguish whether it was kicking or knocking around. It would kick whenever Kyle was speaking anywhere near Sunny. The first time it happened, Kyle got scared about whether he would be a good father, he didn’t know what to think about the baby’s reaction to his voice. He wondered foolishly if the baby was trying to kick him but only managed to hurt Sunny. She laughed out loud when he actually said his hypothesis out loud. She kissed his lips almost chastely then put both his hands on her belly, then instructed him to talk. When he did, even though he was reluctant (he always succumbed and obey, she had such a hold on him), the baby kicked again and she explained that their offspring just knew that it was his/her father speaking and reacted with delight, not dislike. She was so sure of herself; he couldn’t help but believe her and be filled with wonder.

At night, when she was cuddled in his arms, he would put his hands on her protruding belly and would silently thanked whatever god or higher power which had decided to trust him with Sunny in the first place, and lately with a baby too. He often wondered what he had done to deserve them.

And then one day, while Sunny was washing fresh vegetables the raiders had brought back, her water broke. She had been suffering from some stomach cramps but had dismissed it as another little discomfort pregnancy brought. She hadn’t even thought she could be going in labour until now. When he saw her, standing there, with a wet spot on the floor between her feet, and wet clothes, he knew instantly what was happening: he scooped her in his arms. Candy, who had seen him do so and knew what it meant, had run ahead to the hospital to get everything ready.

He had rushed them to the hospital, trying to reassure Sunny who was freaking out because the baby was at least a couple of weeks early. He felt strangely calm, posed. He knew what he had to do: it would pretty much be his only job during the delivery process. He spoke in a low voice, and it seemed to work on Sunny. Her breathing had slowed back to a more normal rate. She would crush his hand when a contraction hit, but she was getting calmer by the second. Sunny was laying on a gurney in the hospital wing. Doc had checked the dilatation process: Kyle had felt a violent wave of jealousy shake his body toward the medicine man but knew he was being irrational. Doc was just doing his job, but he couldn’t help but think that he would have preferred Candy to be the one doing the examination.

Then, they had to wait. Sunny suffered through every contraction since nobody had thought about raiding for some labour medicine. When a contraction hit, she would grid her teeth, swear moderately and then would profusely apologize for the mild violence and profanity she had expressed. Kyle would laugh and call her silly, kissing her hands, though his were hurting like hell, he didn’t know if she had always been that strong or if it was just some kind of labor adrenaline kicking in. Between contractions, she would smile at him, so sweetly, and she would talk in hushed tones about their baby. He could tell she was not reacting like a human woman would under the same circumstances, and he felt incredibly lucky of that fact.

There was quite a crowd waiting just outside the hospital, but all were respecting their privacy. Doc and Candy were the only one in there with them but tried their best to be invisible. Kyle was amazed by Sunny: she was being utterly perfect about everything. Even when the contractions became closer and closer, she never panicked. She was obviously dead tired but she never complained. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness; she couldn’t wait to meet their baby. He shared her impatience and marveled in discovering that he was indeed, that guy, the one who wanted a baby, and was blessed with one. He was still scared about whether he would be a good father, but at the same time couldn’t wait to be a dad.

Finally, Doc instructed Sunny to start pushing, and she complied with all the energy that was left in her body. As he had predicted, Kyle felt pretty useless. He would cheer, try to give her his own strength, he would wipe her forehead lovingly, and kiss her, always amazed by her determination. Then came the last push, and soon after, they both heard their baby’s first cry. Both were filled with an indescribable feeling, and Sunny started crying with joy. He shed a couple of tears himself.

It was a girl, the most amazing baby girl he had ever seen. He got to cut the cord, and after Sunny instructed him to, he followed Candy who was taking care of his daughter while Doc helped Sunny through the end of the delivery. Kyle was amazed by his daughter; she was just so … perfect, even when she was screaming at the top of her lungs. Perfect indeed she was, just like her mother, just like Sunny—only much louder. That was another revelation he got watching his beautiful baby: he would always love Jodi, she had been his first love, but now, she was his past. Sunny had become his present and his future. It was with her that he had had a baby, not with Jodi. Though his daughter obviously shared some physical features with his first love, she was Sunny’s daughter, and she would always be.

When she finally got to hold their crying baby (he had refused to when Candy had offered because he wanted his love to be the first one to hold their child), she wept some more, kissing her daughter’s head, her hands, her arms, then kissing him too. He cried along with her, overwhelmed with too many emotions to describe.

While Sunny was breastfeeding their daughter, one of Kyle’s finger pressing against her chest as it was held tightly in the baby’s hand, he asked her if she had thought about names. She surprised him beyond words when she answered, love for her coursing through him.

“I think we should name her Jodi.”

He was so moved but at the same time felt even more certain that he loved her like he had never loved anybody else.

“As her second name, we can use Jodi,” he said when he finally got his emotions under control. “But she is your daughter and though I appreciate your gesture more than I can possibly say, I think we should pick her first name according to which you are, and your previous lives. She is your daughter,” he insisted once more.

More tears rolled down her cheeks, but she calmed down quickly when she realized the baby was indisposed by such strong emotions.

“How about Holly?” she asked finally.

He remembered that she had loved them as a Bear, and that when she was pregnant, she sometimes had this weird craving to feel their perfume. Ian had found some in a botanist’s house and brought it back for her. Sunny had been delighted to be able to smell them again.

Holly, he thought, it was fitting, weirdly. In a way, she had craved for that baby too.

“Holly it is, then”, he said before kissing his daughter’s head while pressing her mother’s hand, tenderly.

They found themselves staring at their little miracle, their baby sleeping against her mother’s chest. They were truly happy, nothing had ever felt more right, and both parents couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, they hadn’t gotten pregnant on an accident…


End file.
